Pro-choice and anti-abortion advocates commemorate January 22 as the day the landmark Roe v Wade decision legalizing abortion was announced in 1973. This year, both sides are also noting the potential closure of another clinic in Ohio – very near the 41st anniversary of that critical decision.

The Ohio Department of Health has ordered the Womenâ€™s Med Center near Cincinnati to close down, because the facility doesnâ€™t have a transfer agreement with a hospital in case of complications with patients. Mike Gonidakis with Ohio Right to Life says the clinic had been violating state law for more than a year.

â€œSpecifically, the law requires every ambulatory surgical facility to have a transfer agreement, whether you perform abortions, laser eye surgery, ENT â€“ you have to have a transfer agreement because youâ€™re not a free-standing hospital. Yet this clinic chose to turn away from Ohio law and itâ€™s finally caught up to them with the Department of Health.â€

The lawyer for the clinic says it will appeal the decision, and it will stay open till a final resolution, which might not happen for months, maybe more than a year. In the meantime, pro-choice activists are asking their backers to show support for the clinic, which Kellie Copeland with NARAL Pro Choice Ohio says has an excellent safety record.

â€œGov. Kasich and his political appointees are moving to close a clinic not based on any medical reasons, not based on some sort of complication rate or anything like that, but on bureaucratic paperwork that theyâ€™re refusing to approve.â€

Copeland says abortion needs to stay legal so clinics can be regulated and held to appropriate safety standards. But she says the order to close this clinic, along with the shutdowns of four other clinics last year, is about ideology, not patient safety.
â€œLast year, in the whole state of Ohio, there were over 25,000 procedures. Of that there were 45 complications, and not all of those required a transfer to a hospital. Thatâ€™s a complication rate of .0018%. This procedure is exceedingly safe.â€

But Gonidakis says instances of potentially unsafe equipment have turned up in inspection reports, and he says abortion rights supporters need to call out clinics which arenâ€™t operating safely.

â€œThere was 25,000 babies that lost their lives to abortions last year,” Gonadakis add. “And there were 45 botched abortions last year against women in Ohio. Thatâ€™s alarming. The Food and Drug Administration pulls drugs off the shelf if thereâ€™s a handful of complications with those drugs, yet last year we found out there was 42 botched chemical abortions in Ohio.

“So whether it be one or more than one, we need to take these instances serious if we really want to protect womenâ€™s health.â€

There are also concerns being raised about an abortion clinic in Cuyahoga Falls in Summit County that wants to operate out of the same facility that hosted a clinic that closed last year. Its license is listed as pending with the Ohio Department of Health. Copeland says there is an astounding amount of regulation that a new clinic would have to comply with, some of which is not medically necessary.

But anti-abortion activists in the area say they will do whatever they can legally to stop the clinic from operating.

Backers of the “Heartbeat Bill,” a plan that would ban abortions at the point a fetal heartbeat is detected, started out the year by sending Teddy Bears with beating hearts to Ohio Senators.

Heartbeat Bill backer Janet Folger Porter said thatâ€™s the heartbeat of an 18 week old fetus. The sweet-looking bears were given to Senators to encourage them to pass the heartbeat bill that was passed in the house in 2011.

Then a few weeks later, on Valentines Day, the sweet smell of red roses filled the Statehouse as Folger Porterâ€™s group sent lawmakers flowers to, once again, urge passage of the bill.

Republican Representative Lynn Wachtman, the sponsor of the legislation, assured reporters the roses were not a gimmick.

I donâ€™t think itâ€™s a stunt. I think sending a message about roses speaks volumes about how many of us in the house and senate care about the unborn. Iâ€™m not sure thereâ€™s anyone you can care for more than them.

But while heartbeat bill backers were sending bears and roses, opponents of the legislation were sending messages to Senators, urging them to thwart the bill. Opponents said the climate at the Statehouse had become a war on women and dubbed male lawmakers supporting the legislation the â€œmasters of the uterus.â€ Democratic Senator Charleta Tavares:

We are no longer chattle. We no longer belong to condescending patronizing men who want to tell us whatâ€™s best for us. They donâ€™t live in our bodies.

As the battle over the heartbeat bill continued, its backers took a harsher toneâ€¦.airing television ads in Senatorâ€™s districts, urging abortion opponents to put pressure on their senator to pass the bill.

But Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus, a main target of those messages, remained concerned about the billâ€™s constitutionality.

“There are a lot of well meaning people who are sending emails to take action on a piece of legislation where frankly, they had no indication of what the implications are.,” Niehaus says.

Senators werenâ€™t the only ones questioning the billâ€™s constitutionality.

Ohioâ€™s largest anti-abortion group, Ohio Right to Life, came out against the bill, and county Right to Life organizations began splitting off from the state group because of that opposition.

Ohio Right to Life made some leadership changes over the summer, and after the presidential election, the groupâ€™s opposition to the Heartbeat Bill was silenced.

But Senate President Niehaus continued to oppose the bill, so much so that he used a maneuver to put it in committee where it couldnâ€™t be passed by the end of the year.

Thatâ€™s when Folger Porter issued this warning to Senators to pass a discharge petition in an attempt to go around Niehaus.

Because if they donâ€™t care enough to sign that discharge petition, then I donâ€™t care enough to ever help them again.

But outgoing Senate President Niehaus wasnâ€™t swayed, and the bill eventually died.

But it wasnâ€™t the only one that sparked controversy. Ohio Right to Life backed another bill that would have taken government money for family planning away from Planned Parenthood.

Gonadakis â€“ “We have over 290 facilities in the state of Ohio; approximately 160 community health centers and about 130 local departments of health where young women are going that are need based,” said Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonadakis.

“And thatâ€™s where these funds should be going. They should not be going to the nationâ€™s largest abortion provider.”

Planned Parenthood stressed no government funding is being used for abortions. And the organization pointed out that abortions make up a small part of its services. Backers of the group, like Democratic State Senator Nina Turner, criticized opponents who wanted to do away with the organization.

Theyâ€™ve got this illusion about abortion that is the rhetoric of the ridiculous.

In the end, it was Senate President Niehaus who stopped the Planned Parenthood defunding bill, just like he did with the heartbeat abortion legislature.

Niehaus said the Senate got the bill too late to give it the serious consideration it deserved.

The new Senate could make a big difference in womenâ€™s issues next year: Backers of both the Planned Parenthood bill and the Heartbeat Bill promise to resurrect them with lawmakers.

And next time around, the Senate will be headed by Senator Keith Faber, a Republican whoâ€™s considered to be more conservative than Niehaus. But opponents of these bills vow theyâ€™ll be back, and if the contentious tone of the debate this year was any indication, the fight over womenâ€™s issues in 2013 will be hard fought.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/12/27/year-in-review-the-fight-over-womens-issues/feed/2abortion,Heartbeat Bill,ohio,planned parenthood,tom niehausFor another installment of our look back at state government in 2012, Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reviews the debate over the "Hearbeat Bill" and a proposal to defund Planned Parenthood.For another installment of our look back at state government in 2012, Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reviews the debate over the "Hearbeat Bill" and a proposal to defund Planned Parenthood.WOSU Newsno4:44House Committee Approves Measure To Cut Planned Parenthood Fundinghttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/11/15/crowd-packs-statehouse-hearing-on-planned-parenthood-bill/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/11/15/crowd-packs-statehouse-hearing-on-planned-parenthood-bill/#commentsThu, 15 Nov 2012 12:25:24 +0000Jo Ingleshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=38835

The bill would send Planned Parenthood to the back of the line for public family-planning money.

An Ohio house committee has recommended a bill that would re-prioritize funding for family planning services, making Planned Parenthood the last organization on the list.

Planned Parenthood estimates that could cost it more than $1 million for birth control services it provides to low-income Ohio women and men.

Backers of the legislation say itâ€™s about giving women more choices when it comes to family planning services.

Planned Parenthood of Ohio is eligible for state and federal dollars to help pay for family planning services for low income women. John Coates, the executive Director of Ohio Right to Life, says there are many other community health clinics and private practices that have been providing those same services to low-income women, and Coates says they deserve to get funding too.

Furthermore, there are many hospitals and free clinics around the state that provide these same services in addition to primary care or comprehensive health care often at little or no cost to the patient.

Backers of the bill say it would re-prioritize funding for family planning to allocate it more fairly and provide more options for health providers for women.

Republican State Rep. Jay Hottinger says Planned Parenthood focuses its services on low-income women in urban areas, leaving many women in rural areas without these services. Hottinger says even in urban areas, there are lots of clinics providing important services for women that should be getting some government dollars.

“For example, in Cincinnati, there are four Planned Parenthood (clinics). There are 33 breast and cervical cancer screening centers in Cincinnati,” Hottinger says.

“Cleveland, I talked about two planned parenthood facilities. There are 11 breast and cervical centers. Dayton goes from one to 18. Toledo one to 16. Columbus five to 12. Youngstown one to 11.

“In regards to access, how is this not a significant improvement?”

Denise Leipold, Executive Director of Right to Life of Northeast Ohio, says while Planned Parenthood is not allowed to use government money for abortions, the money it does get for other services allows the organization to free up its own dollars for that purpose.

“91 percent of all pregnant clients that go into Planned Parenthood come out with an abortion. That is clear statistics that show that abortion is indeed a method of family planning at Planned Parenthood.”

Planned Parenthood disputes that claim. It says federal money is separated and not used for abortion. And it says abortion makes up only a very small part of the services the organization provides.

As lawmakers came out of the committee hearing, they were greeted by a long line of Planned Parenthood supporters who lined the hallway, chanting.

After the hearing, backers of Planned Parenthood told reporters why this bill should not pass. Dr. Rob Crane of Columbus says Planned Parenthood saves the government money in the long run. And he cites a study that shows the more access women have to reliable birth control, the fewer unintended pregnancies and abortions.

“So they should actually be providing Planned Parenthood with more money to give good long acting contraception rather than reducing it,” Crane says.

This is not just a war on women. This is a war on reason.

Democrats say majority Republicans in the Ohio Statehouse should not be trying to defund Planned Parenthood. State Senator Nina Turner says sheâ€™s sick of the legislature, made up of mostly men, trying to take good birth control options away from Ohio women.

“You know, the GOP if they had their way, theyâ€™d want women barefoot, pregnant, and back home by 5 p.m. to cook dinner with no voice and no choices.

“As one woman tweeted me yesterday,back in a binder.”

Turner says lawmakers should have gotten the message in last weekâ€™s elections that most Ohio women do not want lawmakers to be tackling these types of issues.

It is funny that our Republican colleagues always like to wax poetic about smaller government while they want government small enough to fit inside a womanâ€™s womb. Well we are sick of it, we are tired of it and we are not going to take it any more.

Even if the plan ends up getting full approval in the Ohio House, it would still have to pass the Ohio Senate before becoming law and the clock is ticking.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/11/15/crowd-packs-statehouse-hearing-on-planned-parenthood-bill/feed/0abortion,family planning,ohio,planned parenthoodThe bill would send Planned Parenthood to the back of the line for public family-planning money.The bill would send Planned Parenthood to the back of the line for public family-planning money.WOSU Newsno4:10Girl Scouts Respond To Catholic Church’s Inquiryhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/05/23/girl-scouts-respond-to-catholic-churchs-inquiry/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/05/23/girl-scouts-respond-to-catholic-churchs-inquiry/#commentsWed, 23 May 2012 11:15:05 +0000Debbie Holmeshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=28863

Girl Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. But theyâ€™re under fire again by Catholic bishops who are looking into relationships between the Scouts and groups that conflict with church teaching.

But theyâ€™re under fire again by Catholic bishops who are looking into relationships between the Scouts and groups that conflict with church teaching.

An official inquiry by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was recently launched. In Franklin County, 31 parishes sponsor Girl Scout troops. The Ohio Girl Scout Council has seen these questions raised before.

A letter was sent last year by the Catholic Diocese of Columbus to the Girl Scouts of Ohioâ€™s Heartland Council in Columbus expressing concern about allegations raised about a relationship with Planned Parenthood and scouting programs.

The letter states highlights accusations that the Girl Scouts promoted programs that contradict Catholic belief and moral teachings. CEO of the Girl Scouts Ohioâ€™s Heartland Council, Tammy Wharton says there is no relationship with Planned Parenthood.

â€œBut we do not have associations, affiliations with Planned Parenthood. We donâ€™t send money to Planned Parenthood. Our money goes to our local council and it supports leadership development for girls,” says Wharton.

Wharton pointed out that in last yearâ€™s letter the Diocese states that the Girl Scouts USA and the local Girl Scout Councils are in good standing with the Diocese of Columbus.

â€œIt brings concerns to me to those who keep pushing agendas that are not true to what weâ€™re trying to do. Weâ€™re trying to build girls of courage, confidence and character that make the world a better place. And for many of our girls religion is part of that,” says Wharton.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/05/23/girl-scouts-respond-to-catholic-churchs-inquiry/feed/1catholics,girl scouts,planned parenthoodGirl Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. But theyâ€™re under fire again by Catholic bishops who are looking into relationships between the Scouts and groups that conflict with church teaching.Girl Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. But theyâ€™re under fire again by Catholic bishops who are looking into relationships between the Scouts and groups that conflict with church teaching.WOSU Newsno1:11Planned Parenthood Pushes Back Against Ohio Billhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/05/16/planned-parenthood-pushes-back-against-ohio-bill/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/05/16/planned-parenthood-pushes-back-against-ohio-bill/#commentsWed, 16 May 2012 16:00:32 +0000The Associated Presshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=28515

Advocates for Planned Parenthood centers in Ohio have packed a legislative hearing to show opposition to a measure that would send them to the back of the line to receive family planning money.

Advocates for Planned Parenthood centers in Ohio have packed a legislative hearing to show opposition to a measure that would send them to the back of the line to receive family planning money.

Opponents say it will largely cut or altogether eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. Anti-abortion groups have praised the idea.

It’s unclear how much traction the proposal will get in the Republican-controlled Ohio House. A House finance committee stripped a similar plan from a budget bill last month.

Lawmakers were to hear testimony Wednesday from opponents and supporters.

The measure calls for eligible public entities or other community health groups that help uninsured and underinsured women to receive money from the state departments of Health and Job and Family Services before other providers like Planned Parenthood.

Members of an Ohio House committee considering a mid year budget adjustment have stripped out a controversial part that would have cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Members of Ohio's largest anti-abortion group were disappointed, but not discouraged.

Members of an Ohio House committee considering a mid year budget adjustment have stripped out a controversial part that would have cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood in Ohio.

The mid year budget adjustment bill had contained a provision that would take money away from Planned Parenthood and give it to community health centers instead. Anti-abortion groups were ready to do the victory dance but that was before lawmakers in the house decided to pull that measure. Ohio Right to Lifeâ€™s Mike Gonadakis says he was disappointed by the action but not discouraged. He says thereâ€™s no question the provision could have withstood legal challenge.

“We drafted this legislation to avoid lawsuits like what happened in Texas or any other states. This would simply divert money from the abortion industry and give it to our community health centers,” Gonadakis said.

Gonadakis said he plans to continue to talk to lawmakers in an attempt to convince the Ohio Senate to put the measure back in the budget bill.

“We are going to continue to work with the legislature. We have pro life majorities in the house and senate. We are a little unclear as to why this is happening but we will continue to work with it,” Gonadakis said.

The committeeâ€™s action was a nice surprise for Gary Doughtery with Planned Parenthood of Ohio.

We are obviously very pleased and we will continue the discussion in the Senate to make sure it stays out,” Daughtery said.

Daughtery says the budget adjustment bill is not the place for this type of legislation.

“I think that itâ€™s a common sense issue. I think when people take a look at it and realize that this is, up to now, a 2,399 page budget bill and we are dealing with non budget items – health care issues that affect women throughout the state,” Daughtery said. “This is not the place to have that discussion. We are willing to have that discussion but this is not the appropriate venue.”

During the past week, Daughtery says backers of his group have been calling lawmakers, asking this funding cut to be removed from the bill.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/25/proposed-planned-parenthood-funding-cut-pulled-from-budget-bill/feed/2abortion,health care,lawmakers,ohio right to life,planned parenthood,womenMembers of an Ohio House committee considering a mid year budget adjustment have stripped out a controversial part that would have cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Members of Ohio's largest anti-abortion group were disappointed,Members of an Ohio House committee considering a mid year budget adjustment have stripped out a controversial part that would have cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Members of Ohio's largest anti-abortion group were disappointed, but not discouraged.WOSU Newsno1:54Democrats Attack “Ridiculous” Planned Parenthood Efforthttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/19/democrats-attack-ridiculous-planned-parenthood-effort/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/19/democrats-attack-ridiculous-planned-parenthood-effort/#commentsThu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:51 +0000Jo Ingleshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=26843

Statehouse Democrats call the GOP-backed effort to put Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for federal funding "the rhetoric of the ridiculous."

Democrats in the Ohio legislature are angry about a proposal Republican lawmakers slipped into the governorâ€™s budget adjustment bill that would strip money away from 37 health centers operated by Planned Parenthood.

Democratic State Senator Nina Turner was among the first to denounce the plan to put Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for federal funding, essentially zeroing put public money for the non-profit.

“We are not children,” Turner said. “Women do not need a permission slip from government to decide what is in the best interest of their bodies.”

“I go to Planned Parenthood for my annual exams. Itâ€™s really my only health care provider that I see throughout the yearâ€¦.especially being a students away from home. I donâ€™t have a family care doctor,” Smales said.

“I was a user of Planned Parenthoodâ€™s services around the time I was in college and it wasnâ€™t so long ago that I donâ€™t remember how important it was to me.”

Planned Parenthood estimates 20 percent of American women use the groupâ€™s services at some point in their life. Thatâ€™s why Demo. State Sen. Nina Turner says itâ€™s important to fight Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate to keep funding for the health screenings and preventative care the organization provides.

“Theyâ€™ve got this illusion about abortion that is the rhetoric of the ridiculous,” Turner said. “The truth of the matter is Planned Parenthood is necessary for poor, rural and urban women in the state of Ohio but I guess the Republican party is saying the Hell with poor, black, Latino and white women in this state because they donâ€™t matter. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

But Mike Gonadakis with Ohio Right to Life says the truth is Planned Parenthood doesnâ€™t serve most of Ohioâ€™s poor women.

“We have over 290 facilities in the state of Ohio, approximately 160 community health centers, and approximately 130 local departments of health, and thatâ€™s where these funds should be going. And they should not be going to the nationâ€™s largest abortion provider.”

Gonadakis says these are comprehensive care centers that provide many services, including prenatal care and mammograms, something he says Planned Parenthood doesnâ€™t provide.

“So Iâ€™m not sure what they are providing other than abortions and sexual health types of services such as condoms and the pills,” Gonadakis said.

Gonadakis denies the move to strip funding from Planned Parenthood is politically motivated.

“We try to leave the politics out of it. Our goal is to help women who find themselves with unintended pregnancies, help disadvantaged and poor women. The tired talking points of the abortion industry is solely focused on keeping the money they receive on an annual basis. Up to 363 million dollars a year go to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. State by state, they are turning off that spigot.

Indeed, several states have passed similar legislation to keep Planned Parenthood from getting tax dollars. But there are questions about the legality of doing that.

A lawsuit has been filed against the state of Indiana over its law taking away money from Planned Parenthood. For itâ€™s part, the organizationâ€™s spokesman says there is no taxpayer money going to fund abortions. And the group says 97 percent of its services have nothing to do with abortion.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/19/democrats-attack-ridiculous-planned-parenthood-effort/feed/2abortion,ohio right to life,planned parenthood,statehouseStatehouse Democrats call the GOP-backed effort to put Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for federal funding "the rhetoric of the ridiculous."Statehouse Democrats call the GOP-backed effort to put Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for federal funding "the rhetoric of the ridiculous."WOSU Newsno3:42Statehouse Republicans Aim To Cut Funding To Abortion Providershttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/18/statehouse-republicans-try-to-defund-abortion-providers/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/04/18/statehouse-republicans-try-to-defund-abortion-providers/#commentsWed, 18 Apr 2012 12:30:24 +0000The Associated Presshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=26781

GOP lawmakers are pursuing a budget amendment that would direct public health care dollars away from abortion providers to other programs that help uninsured and under-insured women.

Statehouse Republicans are pursuing a proposal that targets abortion providers like Planned Parenthood while directing public health care dollars to other programs that help uninsured and under-insured women.

To avoid constitutional issues, lawmakers placed Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for money rather than defunding it entirely.

The plan was among dozens of amendments Tuesday to a mid-biennium budget bill proposed by Republican Gov. John Kasich. Lawmakers split the sweeping package into 10 smaller, more manageable bills. They also eliminated items, including one trimming prison time for good behavior.

Ohio Right to Life praised the Planned Parenthood amendment for undercutting the “abortion industry.” Democrats called the move a shameful attack on an important women’s health care provider.

The Columbus affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation likely will dodge an organized protest of the local Race for the Cure now that the foundation has rescinded its earlier decision to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

Short North restaurateur Elizabeth Lessner was set to begin distributing a petition Monday to boycott this yearâ€™s Komen Columbus Race for the Cure after learning the breast cancer foundation pulled grants to Planned Parenthood.

Komen Columbus executive director Katie Carter said sheâ€™s relieved to likely avoid a protest of the May race which has raised $18 million in the past 20 years. Most of the money stays in Central Ohio for prevention and treatment programs.

â€œIf we would lose money and thatâ€™s going to affect them, impact them, locally here. And we donâ€™t want that to happen. Our mission is to save livesâ€¦and that would have deterred from that. Any money that we receive goes directly to those services. And thatâ€™s what the important part of this is and where the focus needs to be,” Carter said.

The Komen Foundation said it will fund Planned Parenthoodâ€™s existing grants and allow them to apply for future funding.

Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio CEO Lisa Perks said in a statement she is â€œso glad that Komen has restored funding to [the organization] for vital breast cancer screening and educational services.â€

Central Ohioâ€™s Planned Parenthood has not applied for grants from Komen in eight years.

Upon learning of Komenâ€™s reversal, Lessner wrote in an email to WOSU â€œit remains to be seen whether Komen stands with women or with political ideologies.â€

Earlier this week, critics charged Komenâ€™s defunding decision with political motivation. A congressional committee is investigating whether Planned Parenthood used taxpayer money to fund abortions. That committee is led by an anti-abortion representative. Komen also recently hired an executive who has been outspoken about her anti-abortion position.

The foundation has vehemently denied the previous decision was politically charged.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/02/03/komen-drops-plan-to-cut-planned-parenthood-grants/feed/0breast cancer,Komen Columbus,planned parenthood,Susan G. KomenAfter three days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity said it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood.After three days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity said it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood.WOSU Newsno1:47